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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Don't make it easy to hack your password

Do you use your kids' names as a password? Your pet's name, that you talk about on your blog? You might want to rethink that strategy. Seriously. I have a friend right now in shock because she had an easy-to guess password. Someone hacked her gmail account. She lost everything. This includes her email, her blogs (which were on Blogger, owned by, who else? Google). What's more, her passwords were in a folder, in her gmail account. So, the person who hacked her has it all. She is left with nothing and is scrambling to undo the damage that can be done all over the Internet. Meanwhile, she is locked out of everything Google. Can you imagine? Another reason computing in the Cloud has me a bit a-skeered...Google owns my life.

It is easy to get lax, but here's the deal, from me to you. If you have a word from the dictionary as a password, change it, RIGHT NOW. I'll wait. ...

...are you back? This is why: there are programs that just run dictionary words and common numbers trying to hack your password. Make no mistake, there are people out there, right now, as I write this, trying to hack you.

A combination of letters, numbers and upper and lower case characters are the best chance you have to keep those out who want in to your accounts. Go ahead, make use of that shift bar. Also, while I am on the subject, make a new password for every single service you use online. I know it's a pain, but this way, if someone gets into one, they don't necessarily get into everything.

I know, I know..it's hard to keep track of that many passwords, but you have some options. If you are on a Mac, you have Keychain to help you. You can store passwords, but also generate them as well. On a PC, you can use Password Safe, an application that you download and use locally. It creates files for your passwords, and a master password to protect them all. What's more, it is open source, so you don't pay anything for it. As for what you find on the Internet, I would be very, very wary of any online password meters. How do you know that your password is not being snarfed? Keep it local! It's also smart to write those puppies down in case you have a hard drive crash. This actually happened to me in July, and I lost half of my passwords. Luckily, I did have most of them written down, and backed up.

I don't want to hear that you have been hacked, so change that password. Change it often. And store your passwords locally, not ONLINE where they can be hacked. Your online identity, treat it the way you would your bank information. Treat it the way you would your first born child. Guard it.

Consider this my public service announcement to all of you. Much love. Peace out.

Tina isn't as computer illiterate as you might think. Come see what other surprises are in store for you at her blog, Send Chocolate.

Posted By OC Family On 01/12/2010 At 2:15 AM Comments (3) TrackBacks (0)

Friday, January 08, 2010

My daughter, the fashion plate

I have a confession. I am raising a fashion plate. I am not sure how it happened, I am a feminist. I mean, sure I shave my armpits, and tend the garden, and I looove sexy heels, there's that. But there is more to life than clothes. I fought this, tried to get her interested in other things. But, alas.

JBean is eight now. In spite of her autism, she has finally mastered the task of getting dressed on her own, and she has very obvious preferences about her clothes. It is a given she will grouse (read: throw a fit or just whine a lot) even if she chose it herself the night before. I have learned to pad the schedule and take valium, drink be patient with her foibles. It is a given she will protest whatever she is first wearing the way that Christian from Project Runway will use "fierce" in at least one sentence of an interview.

She doesn't dress like girls her age (thank God for that…have you seen some of the clothes in the stores?) Many of them look styled for harlots-in-training. I cannot believe the way they want the tots to tart it up. Once my oldest daughter asked who buys the clothes they sell in stores and I told her, "Blind people who hate you and Christian, from Project Runway." (and I win, that's two references to Christian in one post. Wonder what the prize for that is? And no, he is not a blog sponsor at all). ::send shoes, Chris!:::

JBean's favorite outfits these days are little plaid skirts and matching tops in various colors, and she still loves her beloved Hannas, though it is time to replenish. She is very particular about what she will wear. It all has to match, along with accessories: a jeweled headband, pink and purple shell bracelet, rock star sunglasses. She cracks me up. Maybe she is an aspiring model. (did I mention her favorite food is salad? And cucumbers? Sincerely hoping that is where the modeling comparison stops. And that the cigarettes and booze don't show up. Would you believe she was thinking she was fat? I don't buy fashion magazines, I don't make comments about my body image in front of her. It's ridiculous, if anything she is too skinny. Where would she even get the idea that at EIGHT she might be fat?? Hmm, I wonder...

I hate the pressures on little girls these days. They are bombarded with crap marketing constantly, telling them who they are. Teaching them values that just might stay with them

forever. It is important to be comfortable with who you are, and as a young grade schooler, you are just learning who that is. She has a lot of growing to do, and who knows who she will be. In the meantime, I am making sure she learns to eat, feels good about herself and knows she is loved for who she is, not what she does or how she looks.

I asked her recently why she is so certain in how she dresses. Do other little girls dress like she does? She said, "No, it's just cute." Well, I wanted to know, did you learn it from the Disney Channel? She laughed at me, "No, mama. It's just cute." Well, what makes it cute? "I do, mama. I make it cute. I dress the way I want to, for me."

I think I may be doing something right.

Tina really does like shoes, but doesn't aspire to be a supermodel. She hopes her girls get that same kind of confidence. Send more chocolate and come laugh with her on Send Chocolate.

Posted By OC Family On 01/08/2010 At 12:35 AM Comments (1) TrackBacks (0)

Thursday, December 24, 2009

World of Fantasy is a world my daughter liked

The kids and I attended the opening night of Disney on Ice: World of Fantasy. Littles was really looking forward to it, asking a few times this week when we would be going every day for a week. I think she was antsy! We were there for media night, along with other bloggers and press staff. It was a new experience for me, and one that I hope to repeat soon!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It was a rather cold night, so we stood outside, huddled together for warmth. JBean was so excited though, she barely felt the frigid wind. And I had a new camera to keep me occupied. JBear did karate katas to stay warm.

Once inside, we headed to the pre-show, where we saw Cinderella and the newest Disney princess, Tiana. JBean had just seen Princess and the Frog, so she was very happy to see "Tiana" up close. Along the way, there were stations with princess gowns to be gawked at as well.

Once the preshow was over, we snagged a couple of hot dogs and headed in to our seats. Everywhere, were vendors trying to sell us overpriced concessions, marketed to the little ones in an effort to shame Mama into purchasing plastic cups filled with rainbow snowcones, light-up fairy wings and tulip hats wrapped around cotton candy. As you can see, I was not able to resist the siren call of the hat.

The show itself was typical kid fare, vignettes of Little Mermaid, Lion King and Cars, along with the newer Tinkerbell/Pixie Hollow franchise. The first half of the show was the former; the second half was the latter. My children really enjoyed the first half of the show, as did I. The costumes and staging were interesting, and played well in the arena. The skating was good, though not expert Olympic level. Still, it worked.

After Intermission, the Tinkerbell portion of the show was next. My little one liked this...she loves fairies. My 11 year old son was a bit more reserved, though. He thought it was not as good as the first half. Honestly, I agreed with him: maybe it was the familiarity of the songs in the first half, but the second half just didn't grab me. I also think since I haven't really seen the Tinkerbell animated movies that the show was based upon, I didn't have a lot to compare it with. As I said, my little one, the target audience member, of course, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Would I go again? Yes, I would. When we arrived home, my little one kept saying over and over again, "Thank you Mama for taking me to the show! I had So Much Fun!"

It doesn't get any better than that.

Tina skates on thin ice a lot. It's pretty funny. Come read about it on Send Chocolate.

Posted By OC Family On 12/24/2009 At 3:31 PM Comments (0) TrackBacks (0)

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Christmas, OCD and me

It's in the air. If you are quiet, you can hear it.

The ringing of bells by bored Salvation Army volunteers. The muttered cussing of a mother as she tries to find a parking space at the mall. The movement of boxes as Daddy tries to find the lights so he can string them on to the Christmas tree. The hollow "Oof!" as I am elbowed in the ribs to get the last copy of the only game my son wants for Christmas this year, bar none. The screams of yet another child placed on Santa's lap against his will by a well-meaning mother, trying to simply make memories for her family.

Poor woman.

I learned the hard way with that one: just not worth it. I admit it, this time of year fills me with dread.

I used to have a brain, but somewhere around November, specifically the third week or so, my brain goes missing. Some call it anxiety over perfectionism. I call it par-for-the-course. But it makes the holidays stressful, not fun, and a lot more work than they need to be.

I can't figure out how to change this, try as I might. It is a mountain I am tired of climbing. ( a chimney I am tired of going down?) One of these days, I am going to say "Screw it," and we will head somewhere warm, sunny and sandy for the holidays. But not this year. This year, I just have to get through it. Come January 4th, all will be okay again.

There just seems to be so much to do, and every year, I tell myself I will simplify. But how? When you create traditions (which, in this house, means you did it twice) you have to keep with them, or the kids see the sky falling and run to tell the king.

So, I prepare. I buy Christmas Eve Pajamas. I make the Christmas Morning breakfast ahead of time. I take pictures of artfully arranged presents under the tree for the umpteenth time. I call my doctor for a prescription of Xanax. (that last part is just on the wish list inside my head…I don't actually do drugs).

Parents always want to do better for their kids than was done for them, but in my case, my mother set the bar quite high when it comes to Christmas. She has a knack for giving the Perfect Gift, Just What I Always Wanted, and unfortunately, that talent skipped a generation. Don't get me wrong, I know how to give good gifts. But I don't have a sixth sense about it. I suppose that I will have to content myself with my writing prowess and my wit. Oh, and my humility.

Even with preparation, I am terrified I will forget something and it will be too late. I guarantee that on Dec. 24th at about 9 p.m. I will, in a panic, realize that the gifts aren't quite even, and send my husband out into the cold, foraging for toys at the local drug store that is open until midnight. This happens every year. When making cookies? I will get halfway through the recipe and remember that I needed butter. Or shortening, that I swear I purchased last week, but cannot find. Again with the venturing out into the cold in search of baking supplies. He is so good to me.

I am worried I am doing it wrong, I have a master list of gifts for Christmas morning. Santa isn't the only one who makes a list and checks it twice! Mine is a symbol chart with the gifts in numerical order. I color code the wrapping paper to reduce the chance of JBug getting a Star Wars Lego set or JBean, the bug phobic getting an ant farm. Drop the ball once, and they never let you live it down. Now I remember who belongs to what gift. But it means having six different kinds of wrapping paper, and I like lots of different colors, so the wrap has to be in complementary colors. We don't discuss the Bowing of the Presents…of course there must be bows and curling ribbon. It's a sickness. After comes the ar

ranging of the presents… they all must be seen correctly, with the small ones in front of the larger ones, and mixed up according to who they belong to. No wonder I am tired.

Still, as much as I obsess, as much as I worry, it all seems to come together, every year. And the results are worth it. When I hear the excited whispers on Christmas morning, feign sleep and wait for my little one to wake me with giggles and "Santa was here!" I remember why I do it. Come to think of it, it's why I do most everything: the joy on the faces of my children.

Seen through their eyes, I can finally find the magic that this old jaded heart was missing. And remember what Christmas is all about.

Tina really isn't as big a Scrooge as it appears. She actually enjoys life! You can read about it more on her blog, Send Chocolate. Or, check out her community blog devoted to parents dealing with autism, Autism Sucks.

Posted By OC Family On 12/23/2009 At 1:09 AM Comments (0) TrackBacks (0)

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Sometimes all you need is a dance party

It was 8 a.m. Something you need to know up front: I am a nightowl. I stay up late, and go to bed even later. So I covet my bed. There are few things I like to do more than sleep. Once I am asleep, I tend to stay that way, unless, under duress, I have to get up. Morning qualifies under these terms. There I am, blessedly snuggled under the warmth of the covers when I feel a small, insistent head burrowing against my collarbone. And if that's not enough, it is making little mewling sounds. No, it was not the cat, begging to be fed his breakfast. The cat is at my feet, keeping my toes warm. This morning visitor is my littlest daughter who is in need of cuddles. I could do without the kitten sound effects, but I take my cuddles where I can get them. With a sigh, signaling the end of my slumber and the beginning of my day, I rolled over and snuggled.

Once up, I entered my teenager's room (upon pain of death) to wake her for the day. "Nooooo!" she moaned, and rolled back over in her bed. Well, as a mother, I had no choice. I had to bring out the big guns. Did I pour water on her head? No. Did I yank the blankets from her lifeless body? No. I leaned over and hit "Play" on the CD player. TobyMac, a high-energy rock band that my daughter enjoys filed the room. She still didn't stir. Alright then, time to up the stakes. As a teenager, she is very good at ignoring me. "You know you brought this on yourself, "I told her. "And now comes the time to bust a move." You haven't lived until your mother has danced in your room, on your bed, even on your head. (well, not actually on it, just close to it). Apparently, she wanted to die of

embarrassment. And she still ignored. I called in the reinforcements.

My geeky husband, JNerd, answered the call, disco dancing down the hall and into her room. Clad in his Darth Vader pajama bottoms, he cut a proverbial rug all around her bed. She stuck the pillow over her head.
"Hey, this looks like fun," said the middle kid, the extrovert in our family. Always ready for the party, he sashayed in doing an impromptu line dance. Bringing up the rear was the littlest one, still mewing like a kitten and twirling all over the room. She is a ballerina, you know.
My oldest knew when she'd been beaten. "All right, all right! I am getting up!" She didn't jump up and join the dance, that was too much to hope for. But she was awake, and moving. Our work there was done.

Just another morning in the House of Awetism.

Tina has 3 children and a husband who make her look sane by comparison. You can read more about their (mis)adventures on her personal blog, Send Chocolate.

Posted By Jeff On 12/12/2009 At 2:15 AM Comments (2) TrackBacks (0)

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